On the last Saturday night September had to give us, Kelsey Raynor joined a mass of fans anxious to see both ROAM and With Confidence, two of the biggest names in pop-punk, play a co-headline show.
Filled to the brim, The Key Club itself was noticeably sweating, with condensation all over its walls and the occasional drip from the ceiling falling on a fan. While the humidity of the venue might’ve caused an issue here and there, with some fans passing out and having to be escorted, the fun wasn’t ruined as With Confidence (literally) warmed up the crowd.
It was near impossible to bounce around and take photos of the set as fans went all out, crowd-surfing and mosh-pitting, as much as humanly possible within the confines of the small venue. No barrier pop-punk gigs are definitely a favourite amongst fans, with everyone being able to let loose and freely experience seeing what seemed to be everyone’s favourite bands. The atmosphere was set as fans passionately chimed along with every single word, even to ROAM’s brand new release from summer ‘Smile Wide’.
By the time ROAM took to the stage following a high-energy performance from With Confidence, crowds definitely looked like they’d been embracing the ability to just lose themselves and have fun as many already looked exhausted – and the best was yet to come.
Depleted energy stores wasn’t enough to stop this crowd though, as they began cheering and going mental once again to ROAM’s top tracks ‘Playing Fiction’ and ‘I Don’t Think I Live There Anymore’ . Even when some minor technical issues arose, ROAM quipped in comically keeping everyone entertained, even getting a classic Yorkshire chant going before finally continuing with the show.
It goes without saying that smaller shows definitely do things for me. The intimacy and vitality of With Confidence, ROAM and their fans was something that many bands and venues could simply wish for. I (and I’m sure many others) would definitely see either band again!
[Images by Kelsey Raynor]